Kimi Raikkonen says Saturday will be even more crucial after sitting out most of FP2 with a gearbox issue, though it will not result in a grid penalty for the Finn.

After going sixth in FP1, Raikkonen ventured out on the intermediates as the track dried in the afternoon session but appeared to get stuck in third gear. He made it back to the pits but did not re-emerge, finishing with a tally of just four laps in FP2, and he insists Saturday's morning practice session is now doubly important to make up for lost ground.

"Unfortunately, the bad weather affected this first day of practice and halved the possibility to complete the work we had planned," Raikkonen said. "In the morning, on the dry track, we tried various set-up options, without encountering any particular problems, apart from a lack of grip at the front under braking.

"In the afternoon, we made a few changes to improve the balance of the car, but having waited almost an hour before being able to go out on track, a problem with the gearbox prevented me from completing the session. On Saturday we will try and make the most of the third free practice session to complete our programme for qualifying, which we know is the key factor here."

Fortunatly for the Raikkonen the incident will not result in a penalty as it occurred with his practice gearbox.